A Reason to Stay
by Luthien19
Summary: A girl is held captive in Hueco Mundo under Grimmjow's supervision and under Aizen's orders. She almost reveals her greatest secret to Grimmjow by mistake, and this is inflicting them both more than they anticipated. Grimmjow x OC
1. Chapter 1: The Creature

**This is the first chapter in my first fanfiction O.o ****If you read is, please let me know what you think! =)**

**The plot I have made for this story will run along with the real plot of the series, with some twists and turns.**

**What happens in this chapter is right before Grimmjow is first seen in the series. I will try my best to keep Grimmjow in character in this fanfic! **

**Enjoy and thanks! =D**

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**Chapter 1: The Creature**

The moon shone brightly over the ocean of sand that reached out to the horizon. It was a dark and cold night with heavy storm clouds gathering in the black sky. A fierce wind made the naked trees shiver, bringing with it grains of sand that danced mockingly in circles around them. The grey light from the moon brought life to the shadows, and as they grew, they threw themselves over the desert waves. The shadows of the trees stretched like wicked claws after the grains in the wind, as if too catch them.

In the far distance a white castle could be seen. It would seem quite small in the dry, open lands, but as one would come closer, the castle would grow larger until it reached the size of a mountain hill.

The wind travelled towards the castle, hovering over the land, frequently diving up in the air, making a sand-fog that would blind anyone in its midst. The wind crept further and further. Eventually, it reached the castle walls, and made its way upward and inside between the bars of a window. Deeper, until it could touch a creature sitting alone in the dim lit room. The creature reacted to the coolness it suddenly felt, and went to the other side of the room to get the cape that hung over the bedpost.

~ ( * ) ~

When she first got collected by the Arrancars and came to Hueco Mundo, it was more or less of her own free will. Still, she was a prisoner, and she was kept here by the interest of Aizen Sosuke. She still didn't know, what his purpose for keeping her here was, but she was most certain it had to do something about her being _different_. Prisoner or not, she didn't mind staying here as long as food was served at her door every day, and she had a proper bed to sleep in. _This is a cell? Hell, it looks better than my home, _was her first thought when they threw her in and locked her up.

The only thing she would put her finger on about staying in Hueco Mundo was the plain, white and black clothes they gave her and the fact that she wasn't allowed to leave her room, ever. She knew too well that the last one wouldn't be any problem. Leaving this place wasn't a desire she had at the time speaking; at least she wouldn't plan an escape until she had things figured out.

An echo of footsteps was heard coming from the end of the corridor, drawing closer and closer. She didn't react to the sound and kept staring drowsily at the moon outside the window, deep in though. The door was opened, silently. The man who entered was carrying a small tray with some baked bread with jam, and a glass of water. He dropped the plate on the glass table besides the couch, making a loud clinking noise. The girl woke up from her dreaming and looked at the man.

"Here's your meal," he said carelessly.

He was dressed in clothes that resembled the one she had gotten, and what all the other Arrancars in Hueco Mundo wore. She had never been surrounded by such a colourless environment, white, black and grey was all there was. It didn't bother her too much, though; it made it very easy to spot out and appreciate the few things that actually had some colour. Like this man's hair for instance, azure and bright. Almost the same colour of the cold and bored eyes of his.

She didn't thank him for bringing the food, just gave him a look.

"Hell you looking at?" he said annoyed.

She just turned her head and stared back at the moon, ignoring him. There was a pause. The man bowed his head slightly, facing the floor, closing his eyes, and with a dark tone he said:

"You know… you better show some respect for your superiors." He looked up again and met her stare.

"You'd care if I showed you any gratitude for the food you have been bringing me every day for the last week?"

Her eyes went from his face, down to his feet, and up again as she said "you". He smirked dangerously.

"Careful, now, or you'll regret it," he warned.

"So you do care? Funny… you seemed like the typically cold type that doesn't give a shit about anything," she said ironically. And to herself she mumbled silently:

"Superior… hah…"

In a split of a second he had his hand around her throat, pushing her up against the wall. He gave her a deadly look while she started gasping for air, her desperate dark grey eyes begged him to let go. He smiled at her struggling, enjoying her face expressions and the whimpers that escaped her mouth. She tried to open his grasp and buried her nails in his skin. He didn't flinch. He didn't feel a thing. His skin was so thick with reiatsu; her nails could never pierce it.

Suddenly his smirk vanished and he froze, panic in his eyes. The girl got her chance to force herself out of his rigid hand and fell to the floor coughing and breathing. She looked up at him in wonder, before she got on her feet and took a few steps away from him. She waited till she could see him move again. He turned his head slowly to look at her, a little puzzled.

"What did you see?" she asked silently, face serious.

"What the hell are you?"

She looked at him without saying anything.

Silence.

"Grimmjow…" she whispered eventually.

"How the he…" he said. He was starting to get back to normal and turned to approach her, suspiciously, almost careful.

"Hold it," she said, gesturing him to stop.

"What the fuck did you do?"

"You were killing me"

"I was _playing_"

"You caught me off guard"

"Stupid woman," he said lowering his voice.

Another silence.

She had not intended this to happen, but he had left her no choice. _I was _playing_, he had said._ _Idiot, _she though. _I'm an idiot!_ _Why did I let my guard down? _Thoughts of escaping came sooner than she anticipated. Now. _No… I can't… not yet. _Sure there were _things_ she could do, but no one, no one knew of what she just did to this man, this Grimmjow. She had seen him so clearly. What if he gave her away? _No, he couldn't, …I would know._ The secret she had protected for so long, _I've given myself away. Why did I do it! Kushou, kushou, kushou…_

Grimmjow stood still, thinking. His face was angry, confused, almost disgusted. The girl grew nervous as she watched his face change. She knew he would understand with time. _I have to get rid of him before that happens._ As the thought came, he raised his head and looked at her, eyes full of spite. He took a few steps closer.

"You have a name?"

"Takahashi…," the girl hesitated giving it away.

"Takahashi Yukiko?" he asked darkly.

Yukiko's eyes grew wide in fear.


	2. Chapter 2: News

**Thanks to SeishinOkami, Charming-Lynn, Amagake, and TwisterF5 for positive feedback! ^^**

**Please keep on reviewing, so I'll know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thank you in advace and e****njoy!**

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**Chapter 2: News**

He hadn't turned up today either.

Yukiko held her arms around her stomach, trying to shut it up. She sighed. _I can go another day, but if he keeps this up I'll have to make a move,_ she thought. She had gone two days now without food, almost three, and she had done nothing else but thinking while he was gone.

She had long wondered of what they would do to her, or rather, what they would use her for, when brought her here. Aizen wouldn't have made the trouble of keeping her if she couldn't be used for anything, and there were plenty of women here, so her abilities had to be the only reason.

_Aizen_. She had never heard of the man, but the Arrancars that had come to collect her had mentioned that this man, the magnificent Aizen Sosuke, this Aizen-sama as they liked to call him, that he would like her to come to Hueco Mundo. _Who is Sosuke, _she had asked with slight disrespect before one of them had hit her in the face so she fell to the floor. They said she'd better come with them or they would have to kill her right there and then. She didn't believe them. _If Sosuke, who's supposed to be a respected and powerful man, wants me to come to Hueco Mundo, he probably wants me alive. _

She could have run away before they took her, but Hueco Mundo was a place she _had _heard of, and her curiosity made her go with the Arrancars. As she agreed to come with them she couldn't help to think: _He sent five?_

Her stomach made an aching sound again.

"Mattaku," she uttered, starting to get annoyed.

Her thoughts moved on to her food bringer. His face had been so intense when he tried to make her speak. He had most certainly noticed that something was wrong. When he held his hand around her throat, she had panicked, and she couldn't think of anything else than try to… she was glad she didn't go through with it, but the moment she'd started it, she couldn't reverse it. Not until it was complete. She had done this several times before, in the end, but she had never tried to go through with it only partially. _What could this mean? _

Her arms let go of her stomach as she started to remember things that wasn't hers to remember.

~ ( * ) ~

The great doors opened slowly and let in the stinging daylight. Two black shadows entered silently and walked toward the throne on which the magnificent Aizen Sosuke sat patiently, waiting for them to come forth. All the Vasto Lords and their Fraccións was present, standing on different levels and raised platforms. Their eyes attentively following the motion of the men's steps.

"We have returned, Aizen-sama." One of the men said as he bowed respectfully.

He was a skinny little creature with wide and open eyes, demon like and toxic green. A pathway of what looked like the tracks of old withered tears, made their way down his face, leaving him looking rather melancholy and gloomy. His dark straight hair was a deep contrast of his skin, which were pale and inhumanly white.

Aizen looked down at him from his high throne.

"Welcome back, Ulquiorra, Yammy," he said looking from one to the other.

"Now, let me hear your report, here in front of your twenty brothers and sisters." He paused, looking around the room at every Arrancar, before his eyed fell upon Ulquiorra again.

"Show us, Ulquiorra. Show us everything that you saw and sensed in the real world."

Ulquiorra raised his head.

"Hai," he answered with an obedient voice before he plucked out his left eye for everyone to see.

He stretched out his arm, holding the eye in his bony fist and crushed it to dust. The dust sparkled beautifully, spreading out through the room, surrounding every Arrancar where they stood.

The sparkling dust reached the man named Grimmjow, who sat in a corner with his five Friccións standing around him. He made a grimace when the dust sparkled in front of his face, like it smelled foul. Then he closed his eyes and saw.

Floating images appeared of Ulquiorra and Yammy making their way into the real world, looking around, observing the humans who could not see them. When they met two who could, Yammy severely injured one of them, a dark man with an unusual arm. Blood was gushing from the man's body; he lay still on the grass. Before Yammy could do the same to the girl that was accompanying him, a certain orange haired boy came and stopped him. He unleashed his Bankai without hesitation and cut off Yammy's arm before anyone could blink. The boy was a Shinigami, _the_ Shinigami, the guy they were looking for.

Yammy attacked him and the boy fought him back. It went quite well for him, until his reiatsu came out of control, leaving an opening for Yammy. The boy's fighting became pathetic from now on, and it almost got him killed if the blonde man and the dark woman hadn't appeared.

The man hid his face in the shadow of his striped hat and blocked Yammy's attempt of killing the Shinigami. With a nod from the man, the woman leaped gracefully up in the air and kicked Yammy several times until his massive body hit the ground with a loud thud. Ulquiorra stood still, watching them as they turned their attention to their friends.

Yammy got on his legs, unleashing his red cero, laughing madly. He had though he'd hit them, but when the smoke from the attack blew away with the wind, the blonde man had drawn his Zanpaktou.

Ulquiorra hindered Yammy from attacking again and they left the real world after some exchange of words, and disappeared into the darkness.

"I see. So that's why you decided he wasn't worth killing," Aizen said amused by the pitiful fighting of the humans and the orange haired Shinigami.

"Hai," Ulquiorra answered.

"Your orders were to kill him if he might become a problem."

"That's stupid!" Grimmjow suddenly shouted out loud.

"I'd have killed that sorry punk with my bare hands!"

Ulquiorra turned his head and gave Grimmjow an empty look.

"Grimmjow…"

"It doesn't matter what type of logic you use. If the word kill appears in your orders, then it's obvious that you're supposed to just go ahead and kill the person. Eh?"

One of Grimmjow's Fraccións, Shawlong, stepped forward.

"I feel the same way. He's our enemy either way. Perhaps there's no reason to kill him, but there's no reason to let him live, either."

Grimmjow turned his attention to the massive man at Ulquiorra's side.

"By the way, Yammy, you got your ass kicked, huh? With you looking like that, it's more like you couldn't kill him rather than him not being worth killing," he mocked.

Yammy held his anger.

"Teme, Grimmjow. Weren't you watching? The one who beat me up were the guy in sandals and the black woman.

This was too stupid to be true. Rather than killing the humans and the boy right away, Yammy wasted his time waiting to get attacked and making conversation. Their orders were to kill them, not to play with them. If Aizen hadn't wanted them dead it wouldn't have bothered Grimmjow, but it was. And Ulquiorra? He had done nothing but watch the fight. He is the Cuarta Espada, and he did nothing.

"You just don't get it, do you? If it were me, I'd killed those two in one hit, too!"

Yammy lost his temper.

"What did you say?" he roared back at Grimmjow, standing up.

Ulquiorra stepped in front of Yammy.

"Stop it," he said.

He then turned to Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow, do you understand that this guy isn't a problem for us?"

"Huh?" He was obviously confused.

"Aizen-sama isn't concerned about his current state, but rather his potential. He certainly has some decent latent abilities. However, it's very probable that they're so huge and unbalanced; he'll destroy himself if left alone. That's why I came back without killing him," Ulquiorra explained.

"And I'm saying that's stupid! What you're gonna do if he gets strong enough to take us on?"

"If it comes to that, I will finish him myself."

Grimmjow looked a little surprised.

"Now you don't have anything to complain about," Ulquiorra said flatly.

Aizen saw Ulquiorra's logic, and agreed with it.

"That's right. I don't mind, if that's the case. You may do as you see fit, Ulquiorra," he said.

Once again, Ulquiorra bowed in respect before the great Aizen Sosuke.

"Arigatou gozaimasu."

Grimmjow trembled in anger, trying not to make a scene.

~ ( * ) ~

Grimmjow walked down the hall with angry steps, face tense. That had done it. He went to his room and shut the door, putting a barrier on so no one could feel his whereabouts. He tried to keep down his reiatsu by breathing slowly.

Ever since _Takahashi Yukiko_ had tampered with him, his reiatsu had started to fluctuate. He had to concentrate to keep it constant, and if he got distracted he would get restless and start to see things. _What the hell did she do to me?_

He thought of what had happened to days back, when he played with that girl's life and suddenly lost all ability to move. The intensive pain that came from her hands scared him as he could do nothing to stop it. All these images, emotions, and the energy that had flown through him, it was so vivid, so clear, and at the same time he felt like he was being pulled out. _Aizen has either forgotten to tell me something or he doesn't know what the hell he brought back here._

Grimmjow gained control over his reiatsu and breathed normally again, but he couldn't help to feel the presence of something that wasn't his. Or was it? Either way it didn't feel like his body belonged entirely to him anymore.


	3. Chapter 3: A Plan and Some Burned Rice

**Please review, even if you think it sucks. **

**Thanks!**

**BTW, things are starting to happen, and I have lots of plans for up coming chapters!**

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**Chapter 3: A Plan and Some Burned Rice**

Grimmjow sat on the end of his bed staring angrily out in the air, frowning. It was getting dark outside. Inside too, as the moonlight was the only light source he had at night. Darkness never bothered him though. His night vision was perfect.

But there was something else that couldn't leave his mind. Several things.

What bothered him the most at this point was the arrogant prick, Ulquiorra. That piece of shit was really good at working up Grimmjow's anger. He just did as he damn well pleased, and without consequence. Aizen always fell for it. His monotonic voice and all his stupid excuses of what he himself looked upon as logic and good reasoning. If only Ulquiorra had been a couple of ranks under him rather than above… Then there wouldn't be any Ulquiorra. _Cuarta espada… _Grimmjow hated his guts, since the day he sat foot in Los Noches. He wanted him dead.

Grimmojw suddenly got up.

He removed the barrier that surrounded his room and went out into the hall to open the door next to his a couple of metres down.

"Shawlong, get over here," he said looking at the tall man in the crowd around the table.

They all had their eyes upon Grimmjow, but none of them opened their mouth.

The Arrancar whose name was called got up from the couch and went outside with his master. Grimmjow closed the door.

"Yes, Grimmjow-sama?" the Fracción said.

Grimmjow put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall.

"There is something I need you to do."

Shawlong looked at Grimmojw, waiting for him to explain further.

"We're gonna pay the real world a little visit tonight."

Shawlong noticed that Grimmojw was a little different in his expression than what he used to, but he let it pass without further thought.

"Is Aizen-sa-"

"This has nothing to do with Aizen," Grimmjow interrupted, getting a little pissed. His reiatsu shook a little. _Fuck…_

He knew Shawlong had felt it even though his expression was the same. Grimmjow continued as nothing had happened:

"And you're gonna keep shut about what I'm about to tell you. Tonight we go to the real world to clean up the shit Ulquiorra failed to get rid off."

"The orange haired Shinigami?"

"Yes, him. And all the other shit lumps we can find. I'm getting sick of doing nothing but babysitting, and I'm giving you all a chance to blow off some steam and have some fun, so there better not be any complaints about this. I will go on ahead and wait. You tell the others and bring them with you. And this is not to be mentioned to anyone else, got it?"

"Hai, Grimmjow-sama, but-"

"No complaints, I said, you're doing as you're told"

"Hai, but it's not that."

"Then what?"

"The girl Aizen-sama told you to look after… I've noticed you've kept away from her room a couple of days. Shouldn't you-"

"Never mind her, get rid of the company you're having in there," Grimmojw pointed at the door. "Gather the others and tell them to get ready."

"Hai." Shawlong said, bowed, and went back inside.

Grimmjow went further down the hall. _I guess I'll have to feed the girl first before she starves to death… _

When Grimmojw got to the kitchen he noticed that there wasn't much left of the human food he'd made Nakim, one of his Fraccións, the fat one, go and get for him. There was only some rice left, and a couple of bread slices that were all dried up because no one had bothered putting them back in the bag. He took all the rice and put it in a bowl. With a touch of his index finger, he shot the smallest cero he managed to release, which was a little too much and burned the rice. _Whatever…_ he thought, putting the bread slices next to the bowl on the tray and took off.

~ ( * ) ~

Yukiko walked to the west side of her room with nervous and almost angry steps. _Why do I remember things I can't seem to remember doing?_ She thought, biting her nail. It might be the hunger that made her hallucinate. No, that was dumb. Hallucinations and memories are totally different things. But she was getting pretty dizzy…

She turned around and walked to the east side of her room, still biting her nail. She thought about the memories. They were full of blood. She had run. Far too close to the ground. On all four! After a giant Hollow. She had attacked him. And she started _eating him?_ _What is this?_

She turned again and walked back to the west side again, spitting out the nail debris in her mouth. She began on the next finger. The memories had to be his; where else could she have gotten them from? But they couldn't be his! She was on all _FOUR!_ They were memories of an animal, not him! They couldn't be his! But it had to be a side effect of the incident with Grimmjow. If only he would turn up soon!

She turned again. _I need to speak to that bastard right away!_ She decided to try to break out.

There was no need.

Grimmojw walked inside to meet Yukiko's furious eyes burning into him. He was almost as angry as her, but didn't bother to say or do anything about it. He left the tray on the table and was about to leave. He would deal with her later.

"NOW, WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" She roared at him.

He ignored her and was about to leave.

Yukiko, hungry as she was, gazed down on her food for a second, then back to Grimmojw, then to her food again in disbelief.

"What the HELL is this?"

Grimmjow's reiatsu started to shake a little and he turned to face her.

"Be quiet," he said, trying to keep calm.

"I will get back to you later, when I ain't got anything better to," he said and put his hand on the doorknob.

Yukiko was suddenly right in front of him, putting her right hand over his left to stop him from opening the door, and her other hand on his chest to push him away. He didn't move, neither did she. There was a sudden sensation of ease in their touch, which distracted them both. Grimmjow's reiatsu felt calm, same did Yukiko's.

She looked at him, face full of questions, and down at her hand again which touched the bare skin on his chest.

He'd had the same expression, but kept his eyes on her face.

She looked up again and calmly repeated herself:

"Now, you wait just a minute."

He waited.

"I-, I-" she stuttered. She was about faint.

She stepped away from him. He turned around, eyes fixed upon her.

"I need to talk to you about-," she said as a wave of dizziness came over her.

"I need to eat." She sat down and started chewing on the dry piece of bread.

"I need to go," he said with a weird face, as he didn't want to leave but at the same time was desperate to.

Before she could stop him a second time, he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4: Bloodlust

**Sorry for taking so long... School... I'll make up for it! I've gotten several good ideas for upcomming chapters now, and I think the story is really going somewhere. **

**Thanks to all who have read through it so far!**

**Know what?**

**I thought like... only 6-7 read my story or something, but then I found out I had 512 hits and and 331 visitors from all over the world (mostly from the US, from Norway and Brittain)! Make some sound people! So I'll know that you're there, and what you think of the story. Whether you like the story or not, PLEASE let me know what you think!**

**Well, here's the fourth chapter!**

**Enjoy! =D**

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**Chapter 4: Bloodlust**

The moment Yukiko had swallowed the last bread piece and licked the bowl clean for rice, she instantly felt better. Even though it wasn't the best meal she had had, far from, getting rid of the pungent feeling of hunger was as delightful as it ever could get.

She sat still on the couch for some time, letting the food sink. Her head was leaned over the backrest, eyes closed. If it wasn't for the barely visible movements of her calm breathing, she would look dead. Skin white as snow, pale pink lips, and wavy, stone coloured hair that hang nicely curved down over her shoulders and chest. One of her arms rested in her lap, while the other reached out on her side, palm facing the sky.

Frozen in that position she rested, trying not to think, and waiting for the dizziness to slowly fade away. She'd almost fallen asleep.

~ ( * ) ~

Grimmjow sat on a rooftop, waiting. Darkness had fallen over Karakura Town and the half-moon shone dimly in the night sky. He looked at it for a second, and for the first time in his life he really noticed it, studied it. Something about its shape, the way was only half-lit, and the feeble outline of holes… it made him feel… _forget it_, he though to himself. _Get a fucking grip.._. He sighed quietly and bent his head slightly downwards, as if to rest his neck.

As soon as he heard his five Fraccións breaking the silence he changed focus and turned to them.

"Ready?" he asked. They all nodded in response.

"You guys didn't let anyone see ya, right?"

"Of course not," Shawlong replied.

"Although, in coming here… I couldn't help but noticing some very powerful spirit pressures. Ones that Ulquiorra failed to include in his report that is."

"Tch!" Grimmjow spat, putting his hand in his pockets. _Like it would matter…, they still don't have a chance._

"Turn up your Peskis to full throttle," he commanded. It was time to put the plan into action.

They all bent their heads and closed their eyes like if they were to pray. Concentrating, they increased the sensitivity of their nerves, making them more able to sense spirit pressure.

Grimmjow located them all in a few seconds.

_I knew it…_

"The signals are multiplying like crazy," Grimmjow stated.

"I bet they even went so far as to call in some replacements from Soul Society… Well," Grimmjow turned to the Fraccións.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us, boys. Like I said… Killing them as soon as possible would have been the best plan of action."_ This is why I said you were full of shit, Ulquiorra…_

Grimmjow's reiatsu fluctuated a little again. With a bothered face he looked away from the others, knowing they exchanged a couple of looks. It pissed him off.

"Edrad, Shawlong, D-Roy, Nakim, El-Forte… let's go." He said determinately. Maybe if he could find that Shinigami Aizen wanted dead, play a little with him before ending him, he would feel a little better. It had been over three weeks since he had made a kill… He thirsted for blood.

"Don't hold back… Don't even bother distinguishing one from another. It doesn't matter if they only have a speck of spirit power," he said darkly.

"I don't want you to leave a single of 'em standing! We're gonna kill 'em all!"

He gritted his teeth in a smug smile. He suddenly felt normal again.

~ ( * ) ~

Yukiko woke up in shock, hitting her leg on the edge of the glass table.

"AAH, kusoooo, iteeeee!"

She fell down on the couch again, holding her leg in pain.

She had dreamt, but it was of a different kind again. It resembled the memories that suddenly bloomed from her unconsciousness now and then.

…_I'm sure it's just another memory attack…_

She had been on all four again, but she was evolving now, after having a grotesque meal. Devouring a black creature she knew by herself was called an adjuchas, a ridiculously strong hollow. She had felt her body gaining new power and she stood up, now on two legs. The feeling was great. She licked the blood off her lips and grinned.

To test the gain in her power, she ran as fast as she could for as long as she could, went into sonido, jumped over rocks and stones, up and over mountains, and leaped off a cliff in all excitement. Adrenaline, freedom, control of every single muscle. She felt strong, free. And her senses… they were so sharp! The sent of other hollows, gillians, adjuchas, they were so easy to spot out. She wanted more, she hungered for more. For blood, power, strength.

Landing gracefully on her new feet she leaped into sonido and targeted a new victim.

Another fierce fight with claws, teeth, and spurts of warm blood went flying. She bit the adjuchas head off, and inhaled the fresh sent of the new spilt blood. She ate, chewed and swallowed, feeling more powerful after every bite. Some bits of her mask had started to fall off bit by bit and her azure bright hair was finally free and to get in her face. She laughed in madness; touching her free nose and cheek with her hands and claws, smearing out the blood from the kill.

Yukiko had finally got it confirmed. _They are his… the memories… these strange feelings, the instincts._ She wasn't sure if she liked it. It was deranging her. Still, instead of feeling like she was running away from her fears and regrets or having them chasing her, she had felt free. In the memories she was the one chasing, only looking ahead, and always gaining strength.

Yukiko found herself grinning.

The grin quickly disappeared. _What am I thinking? This is horrible! _She could hear the laughter, the deep dark and roaring laughter. _What is wrong with me? _

_I hunger,_

_I long,_

_I want to taste blood again!_

~ ( * ) ~

Grimmjow felt one of his Fraccións' reiatsu disappear.

_So you got yourself killed, D-Roy, you worthless peace of shit!_

"Che… pathetic," he mumbled to himself and spat.

He could feel a strong spirit pressure from D-Roy's location.

_I guess that's where the real fun is._

~ ( * ) ~

"Rukia!" the orange haired shinigami cried out. He was lying on the asphalt.

"Are you alright? What happened to that guy? Did you beat him?"

Rukia looked away, slightly offended.

"Of course I did, Ichigo," she answered.

"I couldn't walk back here if I didn't."

Suddenly, from not too far away, they could feel an immense spirit pressure drawing near. Ichigo got on his feet at once. Alert, he and Rukia both looked around.

"… What is that?" he said in the air.

"So you're the ones who did in D-Roy, huh?"

The source of the pressure they felt stood before them. Ichigo hardened his look.

_Found you._

~ ( * ) ~

Standing in the bathroom in front of the sink, she splashed cold water on her face and rubbed it. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she could swear she had seen a blue glint in her eyes.


End file.
